Attorney General Laxalt Joins Bipartisan Coalition of 20 States to Uphold Second Amendment Rights

May 4, 2015

Carson City, NV – Nevada Attorney General Adam Paul Laxalt joined with 20 other states in filing a friend of the court brief challenging San Diego County, California’s extreme restrictions on residents’ possession of handguns outside of a home.

“The handgun restrictions in San Diego County prevent all but a privileged few from legally possessing a handgun outside the home,” said Laxalt. “That cannot be squared with the Second Amendment’s express guarantee that all law-abiding citizens can ‘keep and bear arms’ for self-defense. The Ninth Circuit Court’s decisions directly affect Nevadans, and my office will continue to be vigilant in actively defending the fundamental constitutional rights of Nevadans in that court.”

San Diego County has been applying California’s gun laws to effectively bar the possession of a handgun outside the home. The Ninth Circuit, in the case of Peruta v. County of San Diego, concluded San Diego County’s actions violated the Second Amendment. However, the Ninth Circuit is now reconsidering that decision. The amicus brief, filed yesterday by a bipartisan coalition of states, argues that the court should not reverse its earlier decision properly applying the Second Amendment.